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Friday Mobile Roundup: Sega, Android Returns, iCloud & More

Sega Partners With OpenFeint — Social-mobile gaming network OpenFeint is getting a new game from Sega added to their collective. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing on iOS will allow its players be able to participate in the networks social features such as leaderboards and achievements. The game is slated for launch later this summer.

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing Launches — Though it has been in the BlackBerry Beta Zones for some time, BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing has finally released, officially, on BlackBerry App World. The new application allows users to more easily schedule, join calls, rejoin calls, and integrates the BlackBerry calendar.

HTC EVO 4G Gets Android 2.3, Gingerbread, Update — Sprint has updated its HTC EVO 4G with Android 2.3, Gingerbread. With the 109mb update, users will see things such as improved download management, restored syncing to Gmail accounts, improved streaming through certain applications, and so on. While an “over-the-air” maintenance release is scheduled for June 6th, users can initiate the option to download the update today.

70% of Android Returns are Due to “Bad Apps” — According to Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha, 70 percent of returned Android devices are due to unoptimized Android apps that hurt the device’s performance. Based on a post from PC World, it is the open nature of the Android Marketplace that is allowing untested (or at least poorly tested) applications into the market.

Universal Joins iCloud Service, Labels Paid $100-$150 Million — Universal Music Group has now joined the upcoming iCloud music service, says CNET. Though more details will be released at the Worldwide Developers Conference, revenue is said to be split with 58 percent going to labels, 12 percent to publishers, and 30 percent to Apple. Additionally, The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Apple does plan to eventually charge a $25 annual subscription fee for the service.

Certainly the subscriptions will be needed, as according to New York Post, Apple is reportedly paying its four major music labels (Universal, EMI, Sony, and Warner Bros.) somewhere between $100 and $150 million in advanced payments.

Android Tops iOS in U.S. — Metrics and analytics firm comScore released a new report today. Over the course of a three month period, which ended in January, Android was ranked as the top mobile platform holding 36.4 percent of smartphone users in the United States. Apple took the #2 spot with 26 percent, followed by RIM (25.7 percent).

Interestingly enough, a piece from the Huffington Post notes Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen predicting something similar with tablets. Narayen believes Android tablets will surpass iPads, though considering the latter doesn’t support Flash, this is not entirely surprising.

Teen Sells Kidney for iPad 2 — According to Times of India, a teenager in China sold his right kidney to buy an iPad 2. While Xiao Zheng was paid $3,900 and did get his iPad 2 and an iPhone, his health has been reportedly deteriorating daily.

[Rumor] 4G Connectivity on Next Generation iPhone — Another iPhone rumor is milling about the web in light of the upcoming Worldwide Developer’s Conference. Now, the latest to circulate is that whatever new iPhone (either iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S) will be 4G capable through AT&T.